Necessary Roughness

Most people know someone on either side of the political aisle who have a visceral and personal reaction to a political candidate that differs substantially from their way of thinking. Instead of discussing issues with logic and rhetoric, they resort to whining, “Bush Lied!” or “Kerry sucks!” At least if I heard someone yell, “Walt Brown is a Commie,” I would determine that said person, while not the most technically correct, might be the most informed. While emotionally charged invective is mildly entertaining upon its first hearing, I can’t imagine it being effective when it is used on people who deal with the consequences of their own decisions.

Hate is certainly obvious when we see political headquarters vandalized, heads removed (link dead), and towers dropped. Tell me, though, how American I would be if I responded to this persuasion in the manner which is supported by these hateful people? They can destroy property and take lives, so therefore I must vote Democrat, or become a Wahabiist? I should turn this question on its ear: who is convinced by paralysis and fear? Do I want to live near such people?

Hate is less obvious but still present when we lose the debate on ideas and as a result attack the person. I can think of no better example of the destructive power than the former Vice President. How else does one go from an impeachment away from the presidency, to “He betrayed this country! He played on our fears”? If he could know the mind of the President, why didn’t he know the mind of the Supreme Court who shot down his bid for a partial and selective recount?

There are a lot of people with a ton of emotion tied up in this election. Some emotion as a result of pondering the consequences of one’s vote is a good thing. I think that we need to stay positive, first by collecting the facts, then applying your values to them. Core values should be hard to budge; otherwise, they wouldn’t be core to you, and you would flip-flop on all sorts of issues. If we get to a point where we hate a candidate, and that candidate loses, what have we gained except being able to say, “Whew?” If we instead take the time to analyze our values and facts to the point where we can defend with them rhetorically, that skill remains useful for the next election.